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West Coast (song)
|DS= |album = Ultraviolence |previous ="Brooklyn Baby" |next ="Sad Girl"}} "West Coast" is a song written by Lana Del Rey and Rick Nowels, and produced by Dan Auerbach. Taken from Del Rey's second major-label album Ultraviolence, the song served as the album's lead single and premiered on April 14, 2014 on BBC Radio 1. On April 22, 2014, an alternate version of the song with clearer vocals replaced the original single on iTunes. The official radio edit of the song features different vocals and a slightly altered instrumental. Background On March 23, 2014, Del Rey posted a video on Instagram featuring her lip-syncing to a muted track. The video was uploaded with the caption "Down on the West Coast they got a sayin...". Following the leak of "Meet Me in the Pale Moonlight", Prefixmag encouraged their twitter followers to listen to the track, calling it a "B-side from 'Ultraviolence'". Del Rey replied to the tweet explaining "wrote that for someone else 4 years ago ...... New single is called West Coast", thereby officially announcing the title of her new single. Shortly after this she posted another picture to Instagram with the caption "West Coast". Composition "West Coast" is in F♯/G♭ minor set in common time and is notable for its tempo change in the chorus from approximately 123 beats per minute to 50. It is a surf rock song featuring heavily layered vocals, multiple guitar tracks, a focus on percussion and a prominent lead synth in the final chorus. Del Rey sings in a breathless, sultry style which is exaggerated in the chorus. The song marks a departure from Del Rey's singles from Born to Die and Paradise, as it does not draw upon the use of orchestral strings or stylistic hip-hop beats. The radio mix is significantly shorter than the original, running at 3 minutes 47 seconds. It does not feature the slower chorus and instead has a constant BPM of 104. It features a light use of strings and slightly altered lyrics. There is no prominent lead synth towards the last chorus and the focus on the percussion is more drawn back. During the final chorus, the first half is stripped to only a distorted guitar and plucked strings for accompaniment. Cross references *The phrase "queen of Saigon" is also in "National Anthem". Reception The song has received universal acclaim from music critics, who commended its "atmospheric" and "hypnotic" production, as well as its maturity. Spin's Marc Hogan commented positively on the song, calling it "atmospheric".Cult Noise called the song a "vintage classic; soft around the edges, heartbreakingly beautiful and exquisitely composed" and awarded it a 9/10. MUUMUSE described the song as "revolutionary" and " entirely different from anything that’s being offered in pop music at the moment", awarding it 5/5. A Billboard staff writer wrote that while it was less "moody" than her previous work, "West Coast" sounds "decidedly like Del Rey – airy vocals drenched in reverb and other effects plus a chorus/breakdown that shows off her vulnerability. Writing for VH1's website, Meghan O'Keefe wrote before asking readers their thoughts on the single, "Del Rey’s newest single, “West Coast,” boasts the singer’s trademark combination of wistfully romantic lyrics and hypnotic beats, but it also signals a step forward." Official versions *Original single version (4:15) *Alternate single mix (4:16) *Radio mix (3:47) *German radio edit (3:46) Remixes *Camo & Krooked Remix (3:33) *Dan Heath Orchestral Remix (4:11) *Four Tet Remix (6:11) *Grades Remix (4:17) *Solomun Remix (8:07) *Solomun Remix Dub (8:07) *Ten Ven Remix (4:31) *William Carl Jr Remix (4:29) Lyrics Original mix Radio mix Music video Background On April 4, 2014, pictures surfaced of Del Rey shooting a music video in Los Angeles. She was on set with "Born to Die" and "Blue Jeans" star Bradley Soileau. On May 1, 2014, Del Rey posted a preview of the video on Instagram. On May 6, 2014, an unfinished version of the music video for "West Coast" was uploaded and taken down by Del Rey's label. The next day, the finished video was published. Jenn Pelly and Evan Minsker of Pitchfork Media remarked that at first, it "appears to function in small, romantic gestures—hanging near an ocean, smoking in the back of a car, much like a fashion ad in a magazine. And then, plot twist: It's Lana in flames." Description Behind the scenes Lana5.jpg Lana2.jpg Lana1.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray67.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray45.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray57.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray64.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray18.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray66.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray19.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray28.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray31.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray11.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray15.jpg 116009PCNEX_Ray39.jpg Credits Category:Ultraviolence songs Category:Ultraviolence singles Category:Singles Category:Songs Category:Videos Category:Music videos Category:Paradise Tour songs